1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handle for carrying bottles and to an apparatus or system to manufacture it. In particular, it relates to a handle for carrying bottles containing gaseous beverages of the type comprising a plastic body having a neck including some kind of annular flange suitable to be supported by the handle. More particularly, the handle is adapted for bottles having a capacity of two liters. By handling of the bottle, it should be understood the handling by the user, in a house or outside, when he or she has to carry more than one bottle for personal use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many handles for carrying bottles which are well-known, but the closest prior art existing in the market is a kind of handle that comprises an elongated body having at its respective ends corresponding hook formations capable of receiving the neck of a bottle in a fitting wedge relationship. The hook formations comprise two substantially parallel legs which are spaced apart from each other by a distance which is shorter than the diameter of the neck of the bottle. Thus, when the neck of the bottle is inserted between the legs, they open in order to permit the insertion of the neck between the legs.
This kind of handle was shown to be useful for bottles with a capacity less than 1/2 liters, but is inefficient for bottles of a capacity between 1 and 2 liters. When carrying the bottles by means of this kind of handle, such bottles tilt and the friction exerted by the legs on the neck of the bottle is insufficient to retain the neck in the handle, causing the bottle to fall therefrom. In order to overcome this problem, these handles were manufactured with a shorter separation between the legs, but as a consequence, the force necessary to insert the neck between the legs was increased. Of course, this is an important drawback, for example for old people and children when they have to carry bottles by means of this kind of handles.
Apart from this, the constructions suggested by the prior art are very complex. Some of the handles are manufactured from metal wires which have to be subjected to a plurality of forming steps, sometimes welding steps are necessary and of course, not only does a complex structure result, but also the time and the manufacturation costs are increased.